Stratford hockey turf teeming with tournament activity
Stratford’s TET MultiSports Centre is a hive of activity this week.
The 2022 secondary school boys tournament and the 2022 secondary schools Eveline Hankers Memorial girls tournament started on Monday and will run until Friday.
Hockey Taranaki umpire manager Glen Taylor says the teams have travelled from across the North Island, with players coming from Auckland, Porirua Greytown, Hastings, Whanganui, Lower Hutt and Wellington.
“This is the first year the tier-four competitions have run at the same venue so it’s pretty exciting.”
Each tournament will have a different running format, he says.
“There are eight girls’ teams that have been split into two pools. They play to get to the semis and the winner of each semi will play each other in the final. There are six teams in the boys’ tournament and they will play in a round-robin format and the top two will go to the final. Each team will play a couple of games each day.”
Glen says the Stratford turf is excellent to play on, and it’s wonderful for players from outside the Taranaki region to experience playing on it.
“It’s great for Stratford, it showcases what we have.”
He says with most of the teams staying in and around Stratford, it will also be great for the town’s economy.
“As well as over 300 players coming to the district, they’ll also have coaches and parents as well. They’ll be staying here, eating and effectively spending money here.”
He says from Monday to Friday, there will be action all day, with play starting at 8am and finishing at 7pm.
“It will be worth coming down to cheer on the teams as they compete for the top spot.”